Moving laser beam readers or laser scanners have long been used as data capture devices to electro-optically read targets, such as one-dimensional bar code symbols, particularly of the Universal Product Code (UPC) type, printed on labels associated with products in many venues, such as supermarkets, warehouse clubs, department stores, and other kinds of retailers. The moving laser beam reader generally includes a housing, a laser for emitting a laser beam, a focusing lens assembly for focusing the laser beam to form a beam spot having a certain size at a focal plane in a range of working distances relative to the housing, a scan component for repetitively scanning the beam spot across a target in a scan pattern, for example, a scan line or a series of scan lines, across the target multiple times per second, a photodetector for detecting light reflected and/or scattered from the target and for converting the detected light into an analog electrical signal, and signal processing circuitry including a digitizer for digitizing the analog signal and a microprocessor for decoding the digitized signal based upon a specific symbology used for the target. The decoded signal identifies the product and is transmitted to a host, e.g., a cash register in a retail venue, for further processing, e.g., product price look-up or product inventorying.
Solid-state imaging systems or imaging readers have also been used as data capture devices in such venues to electro-optically read such targets, as well as two-dimensional bar code symbols, such as PDF417 and QR codes, either printed on product labels or displayed on a display screen of an electronic device, such as a smart phone. The target may also be a form, such as a document, label, receipt, signature, driver's license, employee badge, or payment/loyalty card, etc., each having data fields bearing alphanumeric characters, as well as a picture, to be imaged. The imaging reader includes a housing, a solid-state imager or sensor having an array of cells or photosensors, which correspond to image elements or pixels in a field of view of the imager, an illuminating light assembly for illuminating the field of view with illumination light from an illumination light source, e.g., one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), and an imaging lens assembly for capturing return ambient and/or illumination light scattered and/or reflected from the target being imaged over a range of working distances. Such an imager may include a one- or two-dimensional charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device analogous to those conventionally used in consumer digital cameras, and associated circuits for producing electronic signals corresponding to a one- or two-dimensional array of pixel information over the field of view. Signal processing circuitry including a microprocessor processes the electronic signals to decode the target if the target is a symbol. If the target is a form, then the microprocessor processes the electronic signals to identify the form and the data fields thereon. An aiming light generator may also be provided in the housing for projecting an aiming light pattern or mark on the target prior to imaging. If the target is a symbol, then the decoded signal identifies the product and is transmitted to a host, e.g., a cash register in a retail venue, for further processing, e.g., product price look-up or product inventorying.
Both types of readers can be operated in a portable, wireless, handheld mode, in which an operator, e.g., a clerk or a customer, holds the respective wireless housing in his or her hand, and aims the respective wireless housing at the target, and then initiates the data capture and the reading of the target by manual actuation of a trigger on the respective housing. Electrical power to the electronic components in the wireless housing can be supplied via a rechargeable battery in the housing. A radio frequency (RF) transceiver, e.g., a Bluetooth® module, in the wireless housing communicates data, including data indicative of the target being read, as well as control data and update data, over a bi-directional wireless channel with a corresponding Bluetooth® module located in the host or a docking station where battery recharging can be performed. As is well known, Bluetooth® is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short-wavelength radio transmissions in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio band from 2400-2480 MHZ) from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security.
As advantageous as such readers are, their functionality and their usage can be enhanced by connecting and pairing them to a Bluetooth®-capable mobile terminal, such as an iPhone® device, an iPad® device, or an iPod® touch device (operated under the iOS mobile operating system available from Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), via a human interface device (HID) profile. The Bluetooth® HID profile defines the protocols, procedures, and features to be used by Bluetooth®-capable peripheral devices, such as keyboards, pointing devices, gaming devices, remote monitoring devices and data capture devices, such as the electro-optical readers described above. The iPhone® device, the iPad® device, and the iPod® touch device support a Bluetooth® HID profile paired connection.
However, as advantageous as the use of such Bluetooth®-capable readers in combination with such Bluetooth®-capable mobile terminals has been, one concern relates to the suppression and disabling of the soft or virtual keyboard on the iPhone® device, the iPad® device, and the iPod® touch device, upon the establishment of the Bluetooth® HID profile paired connection between the readers and the mobile terminals. The Bluetooth® HID profile paired connection treats and “sees” the connected reader as a keyboard, and thus, the iPhone® device, the iPad® device, and the iPod® touch device, do not present or display their own soft or virtual keyboards. This poses a problem for operators who want to enter text, but are prevented from doing so during a reading session.
In order to implement the soft keyboard function of the mobile terminal, it is known to completely shut down the Bluetooth® HID profile paired connection and/or to completely disconnect the reader from the mobile terminal, thereby enabling the soft keyboard to appear on the mobile terminal for text entry. This solution, however, is not only inconvenient and time-consuming, but may also result in a loss of the data. It is also known to provide one or more, extra, dedicated, function keys or physical buttons on the reader to supply or remove power to the Bluetooth® module in the reader to enable the soft keyboard to appear on the mobile terminal. This solution, however, is not cost-effective, because it requires the manufacturer to provide and program extra keys on the readers. It is further known to provide a virtual key that supplies or removes power to the Bluetooth® module in the reader by scanning a special bar code symbol. However, the special bar code symbol may not always be available and, in any event, this is another time-consuming, laborious procedure.
Accordingly, there is a need to control when and how a soft keyboard on such a Bluetooth®-capable mobile terminal appears and disappears when connected to a Bluetooth®-capable reader via a Bluetooth® HID profile paired connection, without having to completely shut down the Bluetooth® HID profile paired connection and/or to completely disconnect the reader from the mobile terminal, and without requiring extra dedicated physical or virtual keys to be provided on the reader.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and locations of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The arrangement and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.